Field of the Invention
This invention relates to the field of coatings and more specifically to the field of flame retardant coatings for substrates of foam or fabric.
Background of the Invention
Fire-related occurrences have caused widespread property damage and injuries. It is well known that a wide range of commonly used materials are flammable. To reduce the hazards from such flammable materials, flame retardants have been developed. Such flame retardants include halogenated materials. Halogenated materials typically include brominated compounds and phosphinated compounds. Drawbacks to such halogenated materials include the potential for harm to the environment and humans. For instance, such halogenated materials may form toxins. Other drawbacks include a lack of durability that may be typical in some instances to the brominated compounds.
The use of nanoparticles has been developed to overcome such drawbacks. However, drawbacks to use of nanoparticles include increased processing viscosity and modulus of the final polymer material, such as foam or fabric. Further drawbacks include inadequate flame suppression and melt-dripping.
Layer by layer assembly has been developed to overcome such drawbacks. However, conventional layer by layer methods have drawbacks. Drawbacks include increasing stiffness of the fabric by worsening the hand (i.e., feel) of the fabric. Such drawbacks may be due to bridges between individual fibers in the fabric and/or depositing aggregates during the layering process.
Consequently, there is a need for an improved fire retardant polymer material. There is a further need for improved fire retardant coatings for foam, fabric and other substrate materials.